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Ellikan
The Ellikan are a tribal nation who inhabit the southern rainforest of the Setessian Peninsula, and have more recently been incorporated into the Tripatriquon. They arrived on the peninsula between 700 and 900 years ago, having originally sailed from the island of Creach Faochadh to the south. They are semi-nomadic and change dwelling with the season. They are skilled hunters and woodcarvers, and they have a very striking appearance, mainly for their brightly coloured hair and lack of clothing. Physical Characteristics The Ellikan have mostly tawny coloured skin. Shades vary slightly, but overall they are notably darker than the citizens of the Tri. They are mostly tall, with powerful legs from their active lifestyle. Though ellikan riders gain a distinctive bow-legged quality. Their hair is not as dark as one would expect, but rather it is a dusty blonde for most Ellikan in their natural state. It is not clear why that is, but Myrra posed that lighter hair was a desired trait for breeding, as it was easier to dye. Ellikan generally do not wear clothes. Tetsuya cat pelts are worn for ceremonial purposes, but generally they spend their time naked, except for slings and pouches used for carrying things. They might wear clothing during cold weather brought by heavy storms, but even then many choose to stay naked as a testament to their own strength. Yet they place a great deal of importance on decoration. They wear bracelets, anklets, and necklaces at almost all times. Body paint is used commonly. They take particular interest with their hair. Hair is always grown long and typically braided. Feathers and strings of beads are woven in for added decoration. And they love hair dye. No one but the very young will be seen with their natural hair. It was actually the introduction of Eryskan dyes, with their vibrant colours, that opened the Ellikan up to cooperation with the Tri. It is common now to see Ellikan with bright blue, green, or magenta hair. History Pre-Contact Little is known about the Ellikan from before they made contact with the Tripatriquon. Their own histories are vague and filled with myth, but there are plenty of references to sailing from an island far to the south, believed to be Creach Faochadh. It is unclear what became of the Ellikan's seafaring abilities afterwards, but their stories say that their boats were taken back into the sea by Wakaka. The Ellikan have been on the peninsula for at least 700 years, because their histories include a song about a tremendous earthquake and tsunami which is also written about by Evendar Mellatas, who founded the port that now bears his name around that time. Very soon after settling on the coast, they developed a close relationship with an indigenous mammal, the ellikan. The word ellikan means "good spirit", and it is unclear whether this name was first applied to themselves or to the animal, but regardless, the bond between man and beast has been unshakeable for centuries. Contact When the Tripatriquon began to expand southwestward into the entire low portion of the peninsula, their scouts caught signs of an indigenous people living in the coastal rainforest. Two scholars from Confluence College - Honourable Rictus, Elite Carpenter, and Honourable Myrra, Elite Singer - travelled to the coast to investigate these new people. Rictus and Myrra spent the next two years living among them, learning of their culture and translating their language. The Ellikan were defensive at first, but Myrra won them over with her singing. The two scholars became accepted into the tribe. Rictus helped them with construction of wooden buildings, and Myrra was frequently called to sing for the Chieftain, Kintenweya. But as much as they enjoyed the Ellikan culture, what really delighted the scholars was the woodcarving that Ellikan artists were able to do. Their villages were littered with sculptures and totems, which depicted both nightmarish monsters and staggeringly realistic depictions of beauty. Rictus sent word back to Rialtus of the unparalleled artistry of this tribe. The testaments to these carvings was of such praise that Lord Yrollo himself, Master of Artists, travelled down to the jungles in his frail state, to see for himself. Lord Yrollo was so taken by the carvings that he declared a new guild order of woodcarvers. Then he set about the villages, looking for the most talented woodcarver among them. Eventually he found it. He determined a 17 year old girl named Yayonwa to be the finest artist of the tribe. He named her Lady Yayonwa, Master Woodcarver. He left behind a retinue, instructing them to give the girl all her due as a guild master. By the conventions of the Tripatriquon, this meant that Yayonwa was to be the new leader of the village. Rictus and Myrra tried to explain to the Ellikan why this was, but they were met with confusion and hostility. Chief Kintenweya was angered to see this girl being showered with gifts by outsiders who did not pay respect to him. The Chief came from a hereditary line of leaders, and claimed the position through birthright. The Tripatriquon does not honour birthright, and so the Tri continued to spurn the Chief. Myrra and Rictus attempted to allay hostility, but they could not disobey the command of their guild master, and in truth they saw that Yayonwa was clearly master woodcarver and thus deserved to lead. A coup broke out. Yayonwa gathered support of her own people, who already respected her artistic skill. This group, backed by soldiers of the Tri, fought against the Chief and his loyalists. The naked Ellikan, armed with primitive weapons, fell swiftly against fine steel blades and armour. Thus, Lady Yayonwa was installed as Chief. Rictus went back to Confluence College after this. Myrra stayed behind, attempting to repair relations. After several years of bitterness, the Ellikan came to feel comfortable with the presence of the Tri. Settlements Traditionally, the Ellikan spent most of their time in villages on the coast. These were buildings constructed from wood and hide and were designed to be movable. An entire village could be constructed or deconstructed in 12 hours. This is because the coast, while mostly pleasant, is subject to fierce tropical storms and hurricanes. During periods of inclement weather, the Ellikan would retreat to permanent homes carved into cliffs. Since contact with the Tri, they have developed better construction techniques that allow for more permanent buildings. One of their old villages, Witheyatetseya, has been transformed into a port city called Seya. It is still growing. It is much smaller than the Port of Mellatas, and has less reliable weather, but it is becoming more frequented by travellers. Culture and Economy Ellikan The ellikan is a herbivorous creature of the rainforest that is so essential to the Ellikan that they named themselves after it. It is a slim, four-legged hoofed mammal. The males grow a pair of short antlers. Fur is typically black, though females grow stripes of dark blue and green as they mature. They are very fast, able to run swiftly across the grasslands as well as weave deftly between the jungles. They can run long distances without tiring. Ellikans were domesticated centuries ago, as the stories tell. They are still partly wild, and cannot be used as draft animals. But skilled Ellikan tribesmen can tame ellikans enough to be able to ride them. These ellikan-riders are the pride of the Ellikan fighting force, and they have become a valuable part of the Tripatriquon army. Ellikans have a religious significance to the tribe, such that the tribals protect ellikan herds from predators. Ellikan meat is only eaten on two occasions throughout the year, on holy days. The meat is eaten raw as part of a ritual, but never eaten simply as a meal. The ellikan to be eaten is sacrificed in an elaborate ceremony, and its skull is placed atop a shrine. Ellikan fur is never to be worn, but only placed upon shrines. It is unclear precisely how ellikans earned this position of reverence with the tribe, but they are revered by the Ellikan people. Killing an ellikan outside of ritual is punishable by death. Food The Ellikan have not fully developed agriculture, but they have over time been able to cultivate plants in groupings. Within the jungle they harvest citrus and banana. On the grassy hills further inland they grow dark beans that they call moha'ino (waking bean). Fishing is the most common way of gathering meat. Hunting is focused on the large birds that inhabit the jungle. But they also make prey of the tetsuya cat. The tetsuya is a vicious predator that grows to be the size of a pony. Its fur is a dark green, like its jungle environment. It is the natural enemy of the ellikan, so Ellikan hunters pursue it in the interest of protecting their spirit animal. Tetsuya meat is eaten rare with plenty of spice, and the pelts are taken as trophies to be worn for ceremonial purposes (or simply tanned for general use). Tetsuya cats make dangerous prey, and are only approached by teams of at least three skilled hunters. Technology Prior to contact with the Tri, the Ellikan operated with tools of wood, stone, and bone. Some villages closer to the rocky highlands of the peninsula had developed primitive copper smithing, and some of those tools worked their way down the coast, but they were still rare. Since contact, Ellikan hunters have become fond of bronze spears. Woodcarvers enjoy steel knives, which do not dull nearly as quickly as their old stone knives did. Woodcarving Woodcarving is viewed as a sacred art. According to Rictus, it divides into three types: the grotesque, the sublime, and the symbolic. Grotesque carvings are harsh, bestial images with distorted or exaggerated features. These are mainly found in totems on the perimeter of villages, to ward off malignant spirits. Sublime sculptures are staggeringly life-like works, usually focusing on the beauty of their subjects. (Once, Myrra called out to a woman she saw standing by the river. After hearing no reply, she approached closer. It wasn't until she was standing right next to the woman she realized she was looking at a sculpture). Symbolic carvings are more abstract, involving interlocking geometric patters layered in a three-dimensional relief. These are either carved into the sides of buildings or worn as ornamentation. The greatest woodcarvers, such as Lady Yayonwa, are adept at all three forms. Woodcarvings depict a variety of subjects. The most popular, naturally, is the ellikan. Often they are carved in miniature, and carvings of heads are particularly common as decoration, but sometimes full life-sized sculptures will be done, capturing every detail. Tetsuya cats are symbolic of malignant spirits, and they are often seen carved in the grotesque fashion, but realistic sculptures have been done as well. Any number of birds, animals, and fish all find their way into woodcarvings. Human subjects are done as well, often wooden busts of Chiefs or respected people. But there are a number of full-sized sculptures of women placed near the water. They are images of profound beauty, and are always depicted looking outward. The Ellikan refer to these women as Hyppawaneskiwi - "water dancers". These are believed to be the same beings that citizens of the Tripatriquon call Esseala. Religion The Ellikan associate with a number of different spirits. The primary benevolent spirit is the ellikan, while the primary malignant spirit is the tetsuya. A monkey-like creature called a pennaki is a bringer of good fortune. A large fish called a sillitik is a bringer of storms. Their primary religion relates to two gods. There is Wakaka, the Lord of the Sea, and his lover, Enyakaka. Enyakaka is frequently kidnapped by the michievous Matumatu, the south wind. Matumatu tries to seduce Enyakaka, but she fights back at him, and their quarrel produces a great storm, at which point Enyakaka falls with the rain back into the sea to be reunited with her lover. For this reason the Ellikan delight in rainstorms. Even during furious hurricanes when they must take shelter in their caves, they sing songs of praise to Enyakaka for the strength of her devotion. Worship is sometimes expressed through songs of praise, but most often through woodcarving. Depictions of the gods vary. Sometimes they are shown as human, sometimes as fish or animals with aquatic attributes. Some carvings simply portray them as swirling water. Shrines are in every village, and are decorated with woodcarvings, animal pelts, and feathers. The precise arrangement of decorations varies depending on the time of year. When a heavy storm occurs and the tribe packs up the village to move inland, the shrine is always left in its place on the coast, to be taken by the storm.